He's Happy Now
by bainnebui
Summary: It's Vernon Dursley's funeral which causes Lisa to think of the boy who used to live next door.


**He's Happy Now**

Lisa didn't even want to go. She didn't even know why she was going. Just because she was home for the weekend her mother thought it was her duty to go to the funeral of her neighbour, a man she hadn't seen in at least five years. Even when she did see him it's not like she spoke to him. She voiced these opinions to her mother.

'I really don't think it's fair that I have to go to this funeral, I didn't even know the man. I couldn't even tell you his first name.'

'Vernon. Vernon and Petunia,' her mother sighed exasperatedly. 'They've only been your neighbours for twenty odd years.'

'Yes, but I'd rather have nothing to do with them. I've managed to do so for the past twenty odd years.' Her mother gave her a stern look. 'Just go to the house and pay your respects. You used to be friendly with their boy, what was his name?'

'Dudley?' Lisa hooted with laughter. 'When was I friendly with him? He's an oaf of a boy.' Dudley Dursley had always been the local bully. Lisa and her friends had tried to avoid him at all costs. They were never the targets but they saw what he could do.

'No, the other boy. The nephew.' Her mother was racking her brains for the boy's name.

'Harry? I don't think I was ever friends with him either, Mum.' Harry had been the weird kid in the area. His parents dies and he was sent to live with his aunt and uncle who clearly despised him. He was Dudley's main target meaning the other children were too afraid to make friends with him. Not that hey would have anyway. He was strange. Strange things always happened around him.

'I wonder what happened to him,' her mother said thoughtfully.

'Wasn't he sent to a school for criminals?'

That was another strange thing. Once Harry had started secondary school he was only seen skulking around the neighbourhood during the summer. He was apparently sent to a school to straighten him out though everyone always said that Dudley should have been the one sent there.

'Well then, you'll come with me just to see what happened to the boy,' her mother said before grabbing her coat. 'Let's go.' Lisa rolled her eyes and did the same. Her mother knew her well enough to tempt her with a mystery of sorts.

The Dursley house on that afternoon was probably one of the most awkward places that Lisa had ever been. The conversations about the deceased were vague and passive. It was clear that nobody really knew or liked Vernon Dursley for that matter. Lisa's mother had gone into the kitchen to help with the food along with some of the other women from the street leaving Lisa in the living room with the false mourners.

Lisa began to walk around the room. She looked at the pictures hanging on the walls and lined up on the mantle piece. A pink, round baby, a podgy child on a shiny bike, a broad teenager holding a boxing trophy. The walls documented the life of Dudley from birth to the most recent photo of him holding a certificate from the local community college. There was no evidence that another boy had grown up in that house at all.

Lisa decided it was about time she paid her respects to the family. Petunia and Dudley were standing awkwardly in the centre of the dining room.

Lisa shook Petunia's hand. 'Thank you, dear,' she said. 'You've always been such a lovely girl.' Lisa smiled back politely before moving onto Dudley.

'I'm sorry for your loss.' Dudley looked down at her and smiled courteously. 'Thank you,' he said. Lisa couldn't help but notice the change that had come over him. He was no longer the beefy bully she had known. He had slimmed down significantly for one thing. But there was something else that Lisa couldn't quite put her finger on. Dudley had matured.

Lisa left the family to greet their other guests. She checked her watch. She had only been there for half an hour. Her mum had said they had to stay for at least an hour. Lisa sighed. She had better go back and join the mourners in the living room.

Lisa made her way through the hall. She stopped in her tracks when she saw a man looking in the cupboard under the stairs. The door was wide open and the man had his hands on the roof of the cupboard as if checking to see how big it was.

'What are you doing?'

The man jumped from under the cupboard, banging his head on the way out. 'Merlin's sodding left –'

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you,' Lisa said. She hadn't been able to keep her curiosity at bay. The man was rubbing his forehead and wincing with the pain. It was only then that she realized he couldn't be much older than she was.

'Not to worry, I've banged my head in that cupboard plenty of times before.'

There was something familiar about the man. He had messy black hair and round glasses. His eyes were shocking. It wasn't only the colour which was a vibrant green, it was their demeanour. His eyes seemed tired, as if they had seen too much in their short life. The man rubbed his head again exposing an unusual scar that Lisa recognised immediately.

'You're Harry Potter,' she said astounded by the change the years had given the once timid boy.

'Yeah,' he said awkwardly. 'It's Lisa Smith from next door, right?'

'I'm surprised you remembered,' she smiled at him. Suddenly she remembered the reason he must be there. 'I'm sorry for you loss,' she said quickly.

'Thank you,' Harry said seriously. 'I haven't lost much though. I haven't seen him since I left this place five years ago.' He blushed after realising what he said.

'Are, eh, Dudley and Petunia in the dining room,' he stammered. Lisa nodded.

'It's good to see you again, Lisa,' Harry said before walking past her into the dining room.

'Who was that,' Lisa's mother asked after Harry walked past her as she was leaving the dining room. She didn't wait for an answer. 'Are you ready to go now, sweetie?' Lisa nodded.

Walking past the still open cupboard, Lisa looked in. There was the usual things, a hoover, boxes of old clothes and Christmas decorations. Nothing that she could see that would make Harry Potter stare into the cupboard.

As she was closing the door, she noticed a child's drawing stuck to the wall. It was a drawing of stick figures, carefully coloured in bright crayons with names written meticulously neat over each figure.

Mummy. Daddy. Harry.

Lisa couldn't stop thinking about the picture in the cupboard or Harry for that matter. She had never given much thought to him as a boy and now she regretted that. There was always something off about the way the Dursley's treated him but no one had ever mentioned it.

'I'm going for a walk,' Lisa called out to her mum shortly after returning from the funeral. She wanted to clear her head of Harry Potter. The more she thought about the situation the more she realised how badly he was treated. It was all there really; the too big clothes, his skinny stature, his taped up glasses. How did nobody realise?

Lisa reached the park. It was getting late so it was empty except for a red headed woman and a small boy of about five.

'Ginny, look how high I can go!' the boy squealed from the swing.

'I see, Teddy,' the woman, Ginny, shouted back. 'I bet you're going higher than any Quidditch player ever did!' Teddy jumped off the swing then remaining in the air for a second or two longer than realistically possible. He ran to Ginny who swept him into a hug.

The pair hadn't noticed Lisa's presence yet which she was glad for. She stayed back in the trees, observing the happiness that was before her.

'Look who it is, Teddy,' Ginny said pointing to a man who had just walked into the park.

'Harry!' Teddy squealed as he ran to the man. Harry enveloped him in a tight embrace. 'I went on the slide and the swings and the climbing frame and the monkey bars and...' Teddy nattered on excitedly.

'Sounds great, Teddy,' Harry said smiling down. 'What to you say to some ice cream before we head home?'

Harry took one of Teddy's hands and wrapped his other arms around Ginny, giving her a quick kiss as he did. Lisa watched the three figures walk from the park, a picture of perfect happiness.

Whatever tragedy and unhappiness that boy had dealt with in his past was over. He was no longer the boy who drew that picture. He had found the family he had always craved.

He was happy.

**AN: Just a little one shot that was going around in my head. I needed something to get me back into writing so this is it. Hope you enjoyed it.**


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